MoD seeks to modernise armed forces, will observe 2025 as 'Year of Reforms'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the secretaries of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) unanimously decided to observe 2025 as the "Year of Reforms" during a New Year’s Eve meeting. The decision comes against the backdrop of ambitious defence production and export targets, as well as the rapid development and deployment of military technologies in the country’s neighbourhood. The meeting reviewed progress on various defence and security schemes, projects, reforms, and future plans.

 

"In order to give impetus to the ongoing and future reforms, it was unanimously decided to observe 2025 as the 'Year of Reforms' in the MoD," an official ministry release stated on Wednesday. It further noted, "This initiative aims to transform the armed forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of multi-domain integrated operations."

 

Describing the 'Year of Reforms' initiative as a "momentous step" in the modernisation journey of the armed forces, the defence minister said, "It will lay the foundation for unprecedented advancements in the country's defence preparedness, thus preparing to ensure the security and sovereignty of the nation amid the challenges of the 21st century."

 

The meeting, chaired by the defence minister and attended by all the MoD secretaries, identified nine broad areas "for focused intervention in 2025," the release stated.

 

Of these, four agenda items focus on strengthening India's defence ecosystem by promoting indigenous production, fostering innovation, enhancing public-private partnerships, and positioning India as a global leader in defence manufacturing and exports.

 

The MoD will "position India as a credible exporter of defence products" by fostering research and development (R&D) and building partnerships between Indian industries and foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to enable knowledge sharing and resource integration.

 

The MoD has set a target to achieve defence exports worth Rs 50,000 crore by 2029, which is over 137 per cent larger than the record Rs 21,083 crore (approximately $2.63 billion) achieved in FY2023-24 (FY24). This latest figure represents a 32.5 per cent increase from the Rs 15,920 crore exported in FY23 and marks a 31-fold growth compared to FY14.

 

The MoD will "facilitate technology transfer and knowledge sharing between the defence sector and civil industries" and "promote public-private partnerships by improving ease of doing business."

 

This comes as both public and private enterprises play a crucial role in India’s defence production, which achieved a record annual figure of almost Rs 1.27 trillion in FY24. Defence public-sector undertakings (DPSUs) and other PSUs contributed 79.2 per cent, while the private sector accounted for 20.8 per cent of the total. This marks a 16.7 per cent increase from the Rs 1.09 trillion recorded in FY23 and highlights that the country’s defence ecosystem has already achieved over 40 per cent of the Centre’s ambitious target of Rs 3 trillion in annual defence production by FY29. Defence production has also grown by more than 60 per cent since FY20.

 

The MoD has also emphasised that defence acquisition procedures "need to be made simpler and time-sensitive to facilitate swifter and robust capability development." Earlier in December, the MoD announced that the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 is "likely to undergo a complete revamp in 2025" and that "efforts are being made to make it amenable to service requirements."

 

This comes amid steady progress in force modernisation across services, although gaps remain. For example, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence has recommended that the MoD urge Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to increase production of Tejas combat aircraft and expedite fighter jet procurement to prevent the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) operational role from being compromised by declining squadron strength. The Committee's 'Demands for Grants (2024-25)' report, released in December, highlighted that the IAF’s active squadrons have dropped to 31 against the authorised strength of 42, with an ageing fleet and delayed inductions worsening the situation.

 

The MoD will also "instil a sense of pride in Indian culture and ideas", foster confidence in "achieving global standards through indigenous capabilities," and "imbibe best practices from modern militaries that suit the nation’s conditions." This focus aligns with the ongoing drive for 'Atmanirbharta' in defence. The MoD earlier disclosed that out of the 132 defence capital acquisition contracts signed during 2024 (up to November), approximately 95.45 per cent—126 contracts—were awarded to Indian vendors for procuring defence equipment.

 

Three of the nine focus areas centre on enhancing coordination and efficiency through jointness, integration, and stakeholder collaboration in defence operations.

 

The MoD has stressed that reforms should "further bolster jointness and integration initiatives" among the armed forces and "facilitate establishment of the Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs)." Additionally, it aims to develop a "shared understanding of operational requirements and joint operational capabilities through inter-service cooperation and training" across the three services.

 

The Indian military held its first Joint Commanders' Conference in Lucknow on September 4-5. A roadmap has been largely developed for the creation of ITCs, which are poised to be the most significant military reform in India since independence. The proposed ITCs aim to integrate units from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force under a single commander, enhancing efficiency by unifying personnel, assets, infrastructure, and logistics across the three services. The plan includes three ITCs: a China-focused Northern Theatre Command, a Pakistan-focused Western Theatre Command, and a Maritime Theatre Command. For context, China implemented major military reforms in 2015, transitioning from regional commands to a theatre-based structure. ITCs form a key component of long-overdue reforms in the Indian military.

 

The MoD will also prioritise "collaboration across various stakeholders in the defence ecosystem" and "breaking silos," emphasising that "effective civil-military coordination should aim to eliminate inefficiencies and optimise resources."

 

The eighth focus area centres on advancing technological capabilities and preparing for future warfare. The MoD states that reforms "should focus on new domains such as cyber and space, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, hypersonics, and robotics." The ministry also emphasised the importance of developing "associated tactics, techniques, and procedures required to win future wars."

 

Last but not least, the MoD will prioritise the welfare of veterans while leveraging their expertise. "Efforts will be made towards optimisation of welfare measures for veterans," the ministry stated.

 

MoD 2025 'Year of Reforms' focus areas

 

* Jointness and integration: Establish Integrated Theatre Commands and enhance inter-service cooperation.

 

* Technological focus: Develop cyber, space, AI, hypersonics, robotics.

 

* Defence production: Simplify acquisition, promote R&D, and exports.

 

* Veteran welfare: Optimise measures, leverage expertise.

 

* Cultural confidence: Foster pride, adopt global best practices.